Washington [US], April 10 (ANI): FBI Director Kash Patel has reportedly been removed as the interim head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) by the Trump administration, and has been replaced by Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
The U.S. daily cited two sources familiar with the decision.
A U.S. defense official told The Hill that Driscoll is now serving as the acting ATF director and will also remain in his role as Army Secretary. Driscoll was reportedly notified of the appointment on Wednesday while traveling in Europe, according to the defense official who spoke to Fox News.
Fox News Digital, citing a source close to Patel, reported that the ATF was removed from his responsibilities because Patel wanted to focus on the FBI.
“It was never supposed to be a long-term thing. He was happy to serve, of course, but his job is the director of the FBI,” the source told Fox News Digital.
Patel was appointed as acting head of the ATF—a domestic law enforcement agency within the Department of Justice (DOJ)—in late February 2025, shortly after taking over as director of the FBI. The ATF is tasked with preventing the trafficking of illegal weapons and substances, including those smuggled into the U.S. through the southern border.
Under the DOJ, the ATF investigates and seeks to prevent federal offenses involving explosives, firearms, arson, and the illegal trafficking of tobacco and alcohol.
The Senate confirmed Patel as FBI Director on February 20 in a narrow 51–49 vote, following controversy over his qualifications.
Steve Dettelbach, the previous ATF director, resigned in January. He was the agency’s first permanent head since 2015. Driscoll, whom Trump tapped to lead the Army in December 2024, was confirmed as Army Secretary in late February.
According to The Hill, Driscoll served in the Army for three and a half years and was deployed to Iraq in 2009. He attended Yale Law School, where he met Vice President J.D. Vance. (ANI)
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